The Supreme Court today refused to ban WhatsApp
Highlights
- Petitioner claimed messaging apps were a threat to national security
- Ban WhatsApp, Viber as terrorists can send encrypted messages on them
- Intercepting encrypted messages is virtually impossible
The Supreme Court today refused to ban WhatsApp and asked the petitioner to approach the government.
The top court was examining the issue following a Public Interest Litigation filed by Haryana based RTI activist Sudhir Yadav.
The petition said that messaging apps, including WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram, Hike and Signal were helping terrorists and criminal elements by encrypting the messages thus a threat to national security and should be banned.
Dismissing the petition, Supreme Court asked Mr Yadav to approach Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT).
Intercepting such encrypted messages is virtually impossible -- a problem investigating agencies on trail of terrorists admit they are facing, the petition said.
Even super-computers can't decipher and intercept these messages. Decrypting a single 256-bit encrypted message would take hundreds of years, Mr Yadav said.